All good stories begin with, "Once Upon a Time", and so shall this one...
Once upon a time (about a month ago) Queen Carnduff, (formerly known as Mrs. Carnduff) traveled to a far off castle (Viking Middle School) to learn from the wise mages (the district tech trainers) about Gamification and how to bring fun and games into kingdoms (classrooms) across the land. The Queen had always been one to incorporate fun and creativity into her classroom (she was/is not humble) but this, well, this was different. This was the opportunity that she had been waiting for. This was the opportunity to try something totally new, something different, something exciting.
On that fateful day, a tiny seed was planted in the Queen's mind. That seed took root, and overnight had grown into the beginning of an idea. But that little seed of an idea needed more than just the Queen in order to grow. It needed creative thinkers, problem solvers, children with imaginations, and out of the box thinking. It needed to be nurtured by digital natives, gamers, and minds that could help it become what it was really meant to be.
The Queen wanted to play a game. Not an ordinary, every day, mundane game, but an all encompassing, role playing, year long epic adventure game. One that incorporated every aspect of the classroom, from behavior to academics, from math to social studies. It had to span the standards and the hierarchy of higher level thinking skills. It needed to challenge students to go above and beyond, to do more than what was expected, to push themselves. So she brought her half formed ideas and excitement to her loyal subjects (fourth grade students) and together, they began to create something spectacular. Thus, the Carnduffian Quest was born.
This game is still in its beta testing stages. It is not perfected, nor is it even complete. There will be changes made, glitches corrected, and updates to perform. However, in the couple weeks since the Quest began, the class has already seen some very positive changes.
It is my hope, that by documenting and sharing this adventure with you, that perhaps, other kingdoms may come to join ours in the quest to become self-directed, self-motivated, independent learners and thinkers. Let the games begin!
Once upon a time (about a month ago) Queen Carnduff, (formerly known as Mrs. Carnduff) traveled to a far off castle (Viking Middle School) to learn from the wise mages (the district tech trainers) about Gamification and how to bring fun and games into kingdoms (classrooms) across the land. The Queen had always been one to incorporate fun and creativity into her classroom (she was/is not humble) but this, well, this was different. This was the opportunity that she had been waiting for. This was the opportunity to try something totally new, something different, something exciting.
On that fateful day, a tiny seed was planted in the Queen's mind. That seed took root, and overnight had grown into the beginning of an idea. But that little seed of an idea needed more than just the Queen in order to grow. It needed creative thinkers, problem solvers, children with imaginations, and out of the box thinking. It needed to be nurtured by digital natives, gamers, and minds that could help it become what it was really meant to be.
The Queen wanted to play a game. Not an ordinary, every day, mundane game, but an all encompassing, role playing, year long epic adventure game. One that incorporated every aspect of the classroom, from behavior to academics, from math to social studies. It had to span the standards and the hierarchy of higher level thinking skills. It needed to challenge students to go above and beyond, to do more than what was expected, to push themselves. So she brought her half formed ideas and excitement to her loyal subjects (fourth grade students) and together, they began to create something spectacular. Thus, the Carnduffian Quest was born.
This game is still in its beta testing stages. It is not perfected, nor is it even complete. There will be changes made, glitches corrected, and updates to perform. However, in the couple weeks since the Quest began, the class has already seen some very positive changes.
It is my hope, that by documenting and sharing this adventure with you, that perhaps, other kingdoms may come to join ours in the quest to become self-directed, self-motivated, independent learners and thinkers. Let the games begin!